The story continues to follow the progress of the three families of original settlers in Salt Lake City, starting in the Fall of 1849 after a successful harvest. These families came to the city in search of religious freedom and founded their community on principles of centralized planning and cooperation. Despite conflicts with outsiders who did not share their values and beliefs, Salt Lake City continued to flourish as European converts brought their culture, languages, and skills to build a thriving community. In the previous spring and summer of 1849, these families worked hard to till the soil and plant crops, facing numerous challenges such as a late frost, drought, and a plague of crickets that threatened to destroy their harvest. However, flocks of seagulls saved enough of the crop to enable the settlers to survive the coming winter of 1849-1850. Trade with sojourners brought prosperity to the locals, although agriculture continued as the mainstay.

As the settlers work together to cultivate their land, a mysterious illness begins to spread through the community. People fall ill and struggle to recover, putting a strain on the settlement's resources and testing their unity.